To the Editor: David Brooks's stroll down memory lane scolds the citizens of Colorado and Washington State for legalizing use of a plant that has been readily available for millenniums (including to him as a teenager). His column doesn't mention the larger context for our state's decision: almost 80 years of a national drug policy that has utterly failed to achieve its objective of public health protection and has instead caused incalculable harm. Legalization, taxation and regulation of cannabis products is a public policy experiment whose effects are yet to be known. [continues 60 words]
Re "States, cities high on taxes for pot sales" (Nov. 14): I find it unconscionable to impose a tax on medical treatments. The move to tax medical marijuana is not the first such tax. Earlier, there was a proposal to impose a sales tax on veterinary care so people would pay a premium on the lives of their pets. The current proposal may be motivated by the view that the claim of medical need is often frivolous but there are many people who can ill afford paying more for a treatment that helps them cope with chemotherapy, multiple sclerosis or the other disorders for which marijuana is now known to be necessary. These people should not be taxed for a treatment they need for relief or even survival. Thomas E. Locke North Hollywood [end]
